Hard Rock Music Time Machine – 7/6/17

Each Thursday, Hard Rock Music Time Machine takes a journey back in time to feature a variety of songs that date back as far as the ’70s.

In addition to appearing on the embedded YouTube playlist below, all songs featured on Hard Rock Music Time Machine can be listened to individually by clicking on the hyper-linked song titles above each review.
 

 

ADAM WALDMAN – (Publisher, Hard Rock Daddy)

AEROSMITH – “Girls Of Summer” (2002)

There’s something about summer that just makes people feel happier.  It’s a vibe that cannot be easily put into words, but Aerosmith captured it perfectly with “Girls Of Summer” (the only single to be released off of O, Yeah! Ultimate Aerosmith Hits).

When it comes to using double entendre and sexual innuendo, Aerosmith is as good as it gets (thanks to Steven Tyler).  This video for this song offers an interesting twist, placing women in the roles that are more commonly seen in men in the pursuit of “love.”

“Girls Of Summer” was written in Hawaii by Tyler, Joe Perry, and songwriter/producer/musician Marti Fredricksen (known for being the lead singer in the fictitious band Stillwater in the movie Almost Famous) at the end of the Just Push Play tour.  The song would go on to become a mainstream rock hit, and also be the name of the band’s 2002 tour.
 

 
THE ATARIS – “Boys Of Summer” (2005)

Don Henley (Eagles) original version of “Boys Of Summer” is a mellow, melodic, nostalgic walk down memory lane.  On the other hand, The Ataris cover is an adrenaline-fueled, pop punk interpretation that stays fairly true to the original, yet feels totally unique.  The only change to the lyrics was replacing “Deadhead sticker” with “Black Flag sticker.”  A few years later, Five Finger Death Punch would take the same approach with their cover of “Bad Company.”  Although “Boys Of Summer” was a big hit, the band has never been able to leverage that success into other hits throughout their career.  Still, if you have to be known for just one song, this is a memorable one for sure.
 

 

 

 ANDY CHEUNG – HRD Music Scout

BLACK STONE CHERRY – “Lonely Train” (2006)

I was in a blues/hard rock band about a decade ago that worked hard and tried to do all the right things.  Black Stone Cherry – a band that inspired my playing and writing style – is a band that we were often compared to.  They were classified as a metal act, but definitely had southern rock and blues influences.  Their self-titled debut album had some great songwriting, and some memorable singles (including “Lonely Train”), which featured some pretty good musicianship.

 

PORCUPINE TREE – “Arriving Somewhere But Not Here” (2005)

In the realm of progressive rock and progressive metal, students of the genre will automatically name Porcupine Tree as one of the top bands in this genre.  It is music written and performed with intelligence for intelligent people.  From their eighth studio album, Deadwing, this concept album is based on a screenplay written by Steve Wilson (the band’s founder and lead songwriter).  It is an epic album in terms of subject matter, musicianship, emotion and feel.  The album even features contributions from Mikael Akerfeldt of the death metal giant Opeth on vocal harmonies and guitars.  The songwriting and production on this album is topnotch and should be in every progressive rock/metal fan’s inventory.
 

 

 

ROB DELL’AQUILA – HRD Music Scout

DOKKEN – “Alone Again” (1984)

The classic Dokken lineup consisted of vocalist Don Dokken, guitarist George Lynch, bassist Jeff Pilson and drummer “Wild” Mick Brown. Formed in 1979, they enjoyed great commercial success during the ‘80s, before breaking up in 1989.  The band would reunite with different lineups in later years, but it was only last year that the classic lineup came back together (if only for one brief tour, playing one date in America and six in Japan).

Dokken’s first album, Breaking the Chains, was considered a flop by their label, though it did boast a title song that is considered by some to be one of the best rockers of its era.  The video for that song brought the band some fame, and their follow-up album Tooth and Nail was wildly successful.  This iconic ballad comes from that 1984 album.

 

DOKKEN – “In My Dreams” (1985)

The band quickly followed up their first hit album with another huge commercial success, 1985’s Under Lock and Key.  Layered vocal harmonies are punctuated by driving guitars and pounding rhythms in this big hit from the band’s third album.